Cotton-picking machine.



H I. MOGONNBLL. COTTON PIGKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 28, 190B. v

924,181.' Patented June`8,19o9.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Jun 8, 1909.

16 v1.5 'I v j? I jid 4 f l Yu a lvwntoz Hff/iZoClo/zf/zcf UNiTED STATES PATENT onirica.

HOWARD I. MCCONNELL, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-,FOURTH TO PEYTON l-l. SNOOK, JR., AND ONE-FOURTH TO HUGH H. MCCONNELL, Ol4` ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

COTTON-Proximo MACHINE.

, Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patnteaaune s, 1909.

Application led April 28, 1908. Serial No. 429,681.

`To all whom it' 'may concern: Y

be cheaplymanufactured, and easily operated b`y the cotton picker as he traverses the fields to pick the cotton from Vthe growing plants and automatically depositit into a sack connected to the cotton picking device.

With these and other objects in view that will-moreV fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements, and combina tion of the parts that vl shall hereinafter fully. describe and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

. For a full understanding of the invention,l

reference is to be hadlto the following description and accompanying drawings in which F ignre 1 is a top plan view of a cotton picking device constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the top plate reiiioved; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view; Fig. et is al detail view on an enlarged scale of one ofthe support- "ing brackets for *the front rollers, the. view being taken substantially7 on `the lined-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail perspectiveview of one coi-ner of the casing; and, Fig. 6 is a detail perspectiveview of a. modified-form to in the following descriptionand indicated in all the viewsof the. -draw-ingsby lthe same reference characters.

The casing of'niy improved cotton picking device. embodies a bottom 1 the rear end of which forms a handle 2, sides 3 that con'- verge forwardly, an open front end as shown, and a top 4. lVithin the rear endv of the casing a slide `5 is detachably mounted and the said slide constitutes the rear end of the casing and the rear portion of the top. The slide 5 carries two vertically disposed and laterally spaced rollers 6A which are sur# mounted by beveled pinions 7 movable there with. Gear wheels 8 mesh with the pinions T, said wheels being mounted upon a transversely extending shaft 9 to one endof which a crank handle 10 is connected, as shown, said shaft being jonrnaled* in brackets upon the top of the slide 5. Belts 11,

f carrying and provided with picker teeth 11 a and constituting the picking mechanism of the device, travel around the rollers 6 and alsoV aroundjthe correspondingrollers 12- journaled .in the front open end of the ca'sing. These` last named rollers have their ends mounted in transversely elongated slotsV 13 formed in upper and lower brackets 14 secured to theA top and-bottom of the cas' ing and projecting forwardly therefrom, so that the front rollers 12 are permitted to have a lateral movement. rlhe journal ends or triinnions of the rollers l2 are enga-ged by fingers 15, that are pivotally mounted within the respective brackets la and that are connected together by means of springs slots 18 and permit a lateral and outward movementof the rollers. By this means, itY

will be seen that the belts at the front end of the casing where they form the month of the picking mechanism may yield to lat-- erally extend said mouth so as to aceommo date the plants fed therein so as to strip the cotton vfrom the stalks.

The bottom 1 of the casing is formed with a longitudinally extending opening 17 and on each side of said opening are vertically. disposed and longitudinally. extending partition walls 1S with which the inner stretches of the two belts contact.

A brush 19 formed with two oppositely extending sets of bristles as'shewn, has\a jointed connection at one end with the top l near the forward end thereof, and is connected near its rear end by means of 'a coil spring 20 or thelike to some relatively stationary portion ofthe casing so as to support the brush for a yielding or ,jigging movement at right angles to the movement of the belts. In order to eiect the movement of the brush as the device operates, theI brush is formed near its rear end with an upwardly extending arm 21 and a series of tappcts 9 is mounted on the shaft 9, said tappets being designed to strike the upwardly projecting end of arm 21 as the 'shaft rotates. If desired, the brush may be jointed '16, so as topi-ess the rollers iinvardly in the f intermediate of its ends as indicated at 23 in Fig..6, the forward end "being connected to tliebottom of the casing instead of the top.

The tension of the belts may lne-increased by means of an adjusting screw 2t which isl secured to the rear which is mounted for bearing in a bracket 25 end of the slide 5 and secured to the rear end of the base ori-bottom l. 1

In order to catch the cotton that is picked from the growing from by the action of the belts, a sack 26 is suspended from the casing in any desired detachable Way.

27 designates shoulder straps by which the device may be'carried on vthe shoulders of the picker.

28 designates a guard which is secured to one of the sides 3 of the casing in advance of the crank handle and which is designed to shield the pickers hands from Contact with the plants in the picking operation.

Inthe practical operation of my improved cotton picking device, the operator grasps the handle 2 with his left hand and operates the crank handle 10 with his otherhand sov as to effect a movement 'of the picker belts' ll to strip thecottonfrom the stalks and the cotton 'is carriedlrearwardly inthe casing and is cleared from thev belts by the vertical jigging movement 'of the clearing brush 19. The cotton that is pic'lte'd falls into the sack 26 and after one sack has been filled it may be easily detached from the casing and an empty sack secured thereto in its place.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. An apparatus oi the character described,

-. formed with a longitudinally extending botbelts,

` the front rollers belts,

movable at the front end of tom opening and'an open front end, two picker belts mounted to run in said casing, means for imparting a movement to said a brush mounted in the casing in engagement with the inner portions of the and means for imparting a jigging movement to said brush in a direction at right angles to the movement of the belts.

2. Anapparatus ofthe character described, comprisinga casing formed with an opening at its front end, and with a bottom discharge opening, belts mounted in the casing with their inner portions in proximity to said bottom opening, means for supporting said belts, said supporting means being laterally the casing and. means for imparting movement to said-belts.

8s An apparatus of the character described, comprising a casing formed with a longitudinally extending bottom opening and an open front end, belts mountedin the casing with their inner portions in proximity to said bottom opening, front and rear rollers supporting said belts, a yieldable mounting for and means for imparting movement to said belts.

`said trunnions, plants, or stripped there estasiv 4. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a casing, belts mounted vin said casing, front and rear rollers supporting said belts, brackets secured to the laterally elongated being A. formed said slots, the casing, y

slots, the front rollers with, trunnions mounted in fingers-pivoted in the front of an engaging the outer sides of springs secured to said lingers and -exerting air inward tension upon said ngers, and means for driving said belts.

5. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a casing formed with a bottom opening and an open front end, belts mounted-Ito. run in said casing with their inner portions'in proximity to said bottom opening, means for actuating said belts, said means including a drive shaft, tappets secured to said drive shaft, a brush mounted yfor verticalmovement in the casing between kthe inner portions of the belts, means for yieldingly supporting said brush, and an arm secured'to the brush and arranged for engagement with said tappets.

16. An' apparatus of the character described, comprising a casing formed with an opening at its front end, and with a bottom discharge opening, belts mounted to run in saidcasing with their inner portions spaced from each other and in proximity to said bottom opening, the casing being )rovided with partition walls extending along the side edges of said bottom opening, and the belts bearing against said partition walls, and means for actuating said belts.

7. An apparatus of the character de` scribed, comprising a casing formed with an opening at its front end and with a bottom saidcasing with their inner portions in proximity to said bottom opening, the casing being provided with a partition wall betwecn` and against which the inner edges of said belts run, means for actuating said belts, a brush mounted between said walls, and means for imparting movement to the brush at right angles to the movement of the belts.

8. An apparatus of the character dcscribed, comprising a casing formed with a receiving opening anda discharge opening, belts mounted to run in said casing, means for actuating said belts, said means including a drive shaft, tappets carried by said shaft, a brush mounted`in the casing between the inner portionsofthe belts, and movable in a direction at right angles to the movement of saidv belts, porting said brush', and an arm secured to the brush and arranged for engagement with said tappets@ 9. An apparatus of v the character described, comprising a casing formed with a front v end of the casing and formed with means for yieldingly sup discharge opening, picker belts mounted in receiving opening arid a discharge opening, belts mounted to run in said casing, means for actuating said'belts, said means including a drive shaft, a brush mounted for movement in the casing between the inner portions of the belts and at right angles,A to the movement of said inner portions, and means carried .by the drive shaft for imparting a jiggino movement to said brush.

l0. scribed, comprising a casingv provided with a receiving opening and a discharge opening, belts mounted in said Casin `With their inner portions in proximity to sai i discharge opening, front and rear rollers around Which said n apparatus of the character de,

belts run, the rear rollers being provided with bevel pinions, a drive shaft journaled on said casing, gear Wheels mounted on said driveshaft and meshing with said pinions, tappets carried by said shaft, and a yield able brush mounted in said casing between the inner portions of said belts and provided with an outwardlyr prdjecting arm designed for engagement by said tap ets.

In testimony whereof I a X my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HOWARD I. MCCONNELL. [n s.) Witnesses:

D. N. Rises, H. M. MOODY, Jr. 

